All the steps to obtain the demolition permit in Cerdanyola del Vallès and Bellaterra: documentation, fees, timelines and common mistakes.
The demolition permit process is regulated by several regulations that you need to know before initiating any procedure. The POUM of Cerdanyola del Vallès, approved in 2014 with subsequent modifications, regulates the entire municipal area including Bellaterra; the consolidated version is available at the Catalan Urban Planning Registry (RPUC) of the Generalitat. The Catalan Urban Planning Code, in Legislative Decree 1/2010, establishes the general framework of application. Law 38/1999 on Building Regulation (LOE), published in the Spanish State Gazette (BOE), sets out the structural requirements. Decree 89/2010 on construction waste management specifically regulates the treatment of waste generated by demolition. The municipal ordinances of Cerdanyola del Vallès add local particularities. The EMD Bellaterra's own regulations apply to properties in the Bellaterra territory.
All these documents are linkable to public official sources (BOE, Catalan Government Gazette (DOGC), Cerdanyola City Council website, EMD Bellaterra website). It is essential to verify the current version before initiating procedures, since the regulations are updated periodically.
The complete demolition permit application in Cerdanyola requires a set of technical and administrative documents that need to be prepared before submitting the application. Incomplete documentation at first delivery generates amendment requirements that can lengthen the process by several weeks.
The official permit application is filled in using the City Council's standardised form and identifies the developer, the property and the type of intervention. The technical demolition project, signed by a registered architect or technical architect, contains the descriptive memorandum, the graphic documentation (plans and current photographic report), the execution programme and the demolition budget. The health and safety plan documents risk prevention during the process. The construction waste management study (RCD), mandatory under Decree 89/2010, identifies volumes by category, management destinations and specific preventive measures. The cadastral and registry documentation uniquely identifies the property and ownership. Proof of payment of municipal fees accompanies the application from the very first moment. The bond for waste management is calculated according to the estimated volume and the applicable Catalan regulations. In the case of Bellaterra, the mandatory EMD report accompanies or follows the application before Cerdanyola.
The exact information of each document may change depending on amendments to the ordinance. Always verify on the urban planning portal of the Cerdanyola del Vallès City Council before submitting the final application.
Municipal fees and bonds vary according to the volume of the demolition, the category of waste generated, the presence or absence of special materials requiring specific treatment (such as asbestos or lead), and the Tax Ordinance in force in the current year. The exact figures are updated by the City Council each year on its portal and in the Barcelona Province Official Gazette (BOPB), which is why it is essential to verify the current amount for each specific project.
PAPIK Group manages this verification as part of its technical support, avoiding the client having to keep up to date with each regulatory update.
The indicative timelines of the complete process should be understood as ranges based on accumulated experience with various projects, not as binding commitments. The application and review take between four and twelve weeks, depending on the workload of the municipal urban planning office. The resolution adds between two and four additional weeks. The estimated indicative total ranges between eight and sixteen weeks from the complete submission of the documentation.
The actual times depend on the completeness of the documentation at the first submission, on possible amendment requirements from the City Council, on the general workload of the urban planning office, and on the eventual need for complementary reports. Well-prepared documentation from the very first moment substantially reduces the total time.
This is one of the most useful parts of the article, because it presents information that is normally only known through accumulated experience with various projects in the area.
Incomplete documentation at the first delivery is the most common mistake. When the office requests amendments, the deadline restarts and weeks are lost that could have been avoided with a thorough initial preparation. The project that does not adapt to the specificities of the POUM Bellaterra is the second most common mistake, since Bellaterra has additional regulations on tree cover, materials, façade colour and enclosures that a standard project does not contemplate. The insufficient photographic report, with graphic documentation that does not exhaustively cover the current state (façade, interiors, roofs, installations), generates documentary expansion requirements. The incorrectly calculated bond is the fourth mistake: underestimating the waste volume causes delay when the office corrects it; overestimating immobilises capital unnecessarily. The lack of anticipation of waste management for special materials (asbestos, lead, old paints with lead) is the fifth: these materials require specific management plans according to regulations, and if they appear without a prior plan, the works are halted.
Bellaterra as a Decentralised Municipal Entity within the municipal area of Cerdanyola has its own characteristics that affect processing. The process has a dual administrative level, with the major permit at Cerdanyola and a mandatory report from the EMD Bellaterra, which requires parallel documentation and coordination between both levels. The landscape restrictions specific to the EMD limit specific materials and colours according to local ordinances, which can significantly differentiate a project in Bellaterra from the same project in another area of Cerdanyola. The usually large plots (over 800 square metres) generate waste volumes higher than usual urban ranges, with consequently higher bonds. The specific distances and maximum height respond to the garden-city typology characteristic of the municipality. Coordination with the Autonomous University (UAB) in bordering sectors may add requirements from the UAB Special Plan in some specific plots.
The major building permit, necessary to build the new home, is independent of the demolition permit. They can be processed jointly with a parallel application (the most common option, which allows procedural economy and parallel timelines) or sequentially, first demolition and then new construction (option usually only used if the new construction project is still being defined when demolition is to begin).
PAPIK Group coordinates both permits when the demolition and replacement part is contracted as an integrated process, which minimises the intermediate waits between permits and optimises the overall project schedule.
PAPIK Group manages the technical documentation, the contact with the City Council and the coordination between permits for the integrated case of demolition and new construction. The referenced case is K-Iturbi, a certified Passivhaus built in Bellaterra through a process that included replacement of an existing dwelling. The family made the strategic decisions (programme of the new house, schedule, finishes), and the operational part of coordination with administrations was carried out by PAPIK Group.
Technically yes. Only the demolition permit is needed for the demolition. We recommend, however, having both permits approved before starting work, because if the new construction is delayed, the plot remains empty for longer than expected and exposed to possible occupations or degradation.
Asbestos must be declared in the demolition project and requires specific management by an authorised company (Asbestos Risk Companies Registry (RERA)). If it appears during the works in an unanticipated way, the intervention must be halted and waste management reclassified. Verifying before applying for the permit, by means of prior inspection, is essential.
For some interior non-structural partial demolitions, prior communication or simplified permit may apply, depending on the case. For total demolitions of a building, the major permit is always mandatory.
The information in this article is indicative and based on the regulations in force at the time of writing. Regulations, deadlines and fees are updated periodically. Always verify the latest version on the portal of the Cerdanyola del Vallès City Council, the EMD Bellaterra, the Catalan Government Gazette (DOGC) and the Barcelona Province Official Gazette (BOPB). This article does not constitute legal advice and does not replace consultation with a competent technician.
If you would like PAPIK Group to take charge of the entire demolition and new construction process at your property in Bellaterra or Cerdanyola, a free technical visit allows the case to be evaluated and the real schedule to be estimated.
Request a demolition and new construction assessment: papik.cat/en/areas/bellaterra.
See also:
Demolish an old house and build a new one: practical steps